CORONA — Santiago quarterback Clayton Plewe and Hillcrest all-purpose standout Matthew Ramos waged a lengthy battle of “Top That!” during Thursday evening’s nonleague showdown.
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Hillcrest wide receiver Zyren Jones is wide open as he catches a pass to take into the end zone for a touchdown against Santiago in a non-league football game in Corona on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
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Hillcrest wide receiver Zyren Jones is wide open as he catches a pass to take into the end zone for a touchdown against Santiago in a non-league football game in Corona on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
In the end, however, it was the right foot of Carter Tiedt that finally put Santiago over the top.
Tiedt drilled a 24-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Sharks to a dramatic 52-50 victory.
“Not going to lie, I normally have mini-panic attacks before I go out there to kick,” said Tiedt, who handles kicking and punting duties for Santiago. “But today felt great…. Everything was smooth. All my guys were telling me, ‘You got this.’ I nailed all my kicks today, and I’m proud of myself for that.”
Tiedt played the role of hero, but the unquestioned stars of the game were Plewe and Ramos.
Plewe completed 19 of 28 passes for 360 yards and a touchdown and added another 148 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. He had a hand in all but 22 of the team’s 530 total yards of offense.
“He made a lot of big plays, and that really shows the growth of him as a player,” Santiago coach Scott Morrison said. “Last year, when stuff broke down, he wasn’t as confident with his playmaking. The ability was there, and now the confidence has arrived. He showed a lot of resolve tonight.”
Ramos caught three touchdown passes that covered a total of 121 yards and threw touchdown passes of 35 and 31 yards. Ramos also rushed for 41 yards and a touchdown during the game.
“He’s a special athlete and competitor,” Trojans coach Travis Carter said. “He was great again for us tonight.”
The teams traded touchdowns during the opening quarter, as Santiago cornerback Khalil Page returned an interception 20 yards for a score and Ramos threw a 31-yard strike to Zyren Jones.
Hillcrest (1-1) grabbed a 21-14 lead in the second period. Ramos was on the receiving end of a 77-yard touchdown pass from Alexander Villareal, and Ramos connected once more with Jones.
Santiago (2-0) drew level before halftime, with Plewe scrambling for a 15-yard touchdown run.
And the fireworks continued in the second half.
Plewe scored on an 11-yard run to put the Sharks back in front, Santiago recovered the ensuing onside kick, and Plewe helped the Sharks double their lead by turning another broken play into a 36-yard touchdown.
Ramos scored on a 3-yard run to halve the deficit with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter, but Santiago’s Zack Jackson returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards to help reestablish a 14-point lead.
“We knew coming into the game it was going to be a dogfight,’ Plewe said. “Last year, we were in a similar situation against them and came up five points short. We knew we needed to answer their big plays with ones of our own. Tonight, I thought we played great team football all game long.”
Plewe’s lone touchdown pass of the night was a 77-yarder to Ryan Wilson that gave Santiago a 49-34 lead with 9:34 remaining in the game. Wilson finished with seven catches for 227 yards.
Hillcrest wasn’t done, however. Ramos hauled in a 39-yard touchdown from Villareal and added the 2-point conversion to get the Trojans within 49-42 with 6:41 on the clock. The defense made a stop, and Nico Bernal’s 32-yard punt return set Hillcrest up at the Santiago 37. Ramos scored on a 3-yard run, and Hudson Nguyen hauled in the conversion to put the Trojans ahead 50-49.
“This was a big test for us tonight,” Carter said. “This game showed we have a lot of guys with heart and grit.”
Unfortunately for Hillcrest, there was still 2:05 remaining on the clock.
Plewe completed all three pass attempts on the final drive, including a 25-yarder to Wilson that moved the ball into field-goal range. A few plays moved the ball closer and centered the kick for Tiedt.
“With that much time, I thought we had a good chance to win,” Morrison said. “I didn’t now if it would end up being a touchdown or a field goal. I just wanted to make sure we didn’t give them the ball back.”
Santiago already has matched its win total from the 2024 season and is 2-0 for the first time since 2006.
“Our kids want to change the narrative,” Morrison said. “We have things we still have to do better if we truly are to rewrite the story. But what we don’t have to work on is whether these guys care.”
Villareal completed 12 of 21 passes for 190 yards, and Reyez Ortiz ran for 142 yards and a touchdown for Hillcrest.
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